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Eridani I as seen from Orbit.

Eridani I is the jewel and capital world of the Eridani Corporate Federation. It is the first of five named planets in the Eridani system and boasts the largest and most dense population of the five by far, with extremely high levels of development and endless opportunities for those who seek the blood of the galaxy – credits. Its climate is especially Earth-like, if not temperate, as a result of terraforming carried out by the Federation. Eridani I features four continents, two polar caps, and the most inoffensive atmosphere possible in order to attract as many work tourists as possible, if they do not mind the pollution. The planet boasts an extremely small number of cities, only four: a result of the immense and rampant expansion of the largest urban centres, which ended up absorbing all other settlements in their path. These megacities are some of the most advanced, populated, and chic in the Spur, where every single building is realised in the most neutral style possible in order to pander to just about everyone that might consider moving over.

Below the cosmopolitan urban centres, however, lies the main home of the non-existent Eridanian underclass: most of Eridani I’s dregs reside in old and abandoned sewage, tunnel and mining complexes, often forming their own makeshift societies and small “shanty towns” when space permits. Some of these dregs find their home above the surface in relatively abandoned patches of space far away from the urban centres, usually deserts or mountains – areas that are certifiably not profitable, and thus not settled by anyone else. None of Eridani I’s shining opportunities are present for Eridani I’s dregs and their life standard has often been described as miserable or extremely poor by independent observers – criticisms that do not matter in the end, as this class does not officially exist.

History

Eridani I – originally referred to as Kamfulu, a name that has now been entirely forgotten except by dregs – was not always similar to the Earth. Historical documents related to the colonisation of the planet describe it as sprawling with thick flora of all kinds. It proved to be very fertile land in any case, and many colonists were attracted by its potential as a jewel colony. Colonisation quickly sped up and, in 2210, Eridani I had already become one of the premier colonies in terms of development.

With the formation of the Eridani Corporate Federation, a problem quickly became evident: the planet’s thick vegetation was making it quite hard for the cities to continue expanding, and a constantly expanding economy was required for Credits to continue rolling. In fact, most of the population was at the time not concentrated into large urban centres, but rather in many cities dotted across the surface in gaps and holes in the forests. Thus, after many months of negotiations, a deal was struck with Zeng-Hu: in exchange for their exclusive rights to Eridani II, cutting-edge terraforming technology was to be given to the government. This technology was used not only to achieve a perfect climate for human development and to maintain it, but more importantly to gradually erase practically all uncontrolled vegetation across the planet. As a result, Eridani I’s air quality is among the worst in the Spur, with all of the air purification being done artificially. Gardens and forests continue to exist in controlled environments in the megacities, but only in token amounts – and, of course, as tourist destinations. The most exclusive arboretums often function as meeting places for high-level executives who wish to not be interrupted by paparazzi looking for the latest scoop.

The systematic destruction of Eridani I’s flora allowed the largest urban centres to expand uncontrollably and absorb practically all cities in their wake. By 2300, only four cities – one per continent – remained on the surface of Eridani, containing 100% of the planet’s registered inhabitants: Ifihan, Tokura, Madiwa and Fantalu. Some have speculated that the megacities were actually developed as a deliberate form of statistical cheating by the Eridanian government: they are incredibly massive to a degree that almost no other planet in the Spur can match. Only planets or moons with extremely high population density such as Callisto can contend with Eridani I’s continent-spanning megacities in statistics such as gross domestic product. As the megacities approached this massive size, their names began to supplant their continents’ – and now, the continents are simply named after their respective megacity.

Culture

Suit culture is homogenised and thus does not vary much in Eridani I from the standard. It does vary slightly, however, on a megacity level. Interestingly enough, there is rivalry between the megacities, but Eridanians lack a true sense of patriotism or duty to their city. Many would ditch their city or even planet in search for better pay, unless their new conditions would be incompatible with them: a Tokuran resident who is particularly inclined towards party culture would almost never move to Fantalu due to the lack of environmental districts. At the same time, it is simply easier for them to not move from their megacity and find better work there. More open-minded Suits can find elements of variation in foreign workers and their immigrant communities.

Dregs live a very difficult and uphill life, doubly so if they wish to remain dregs and refuse the few opportunities for reintegration that exist. They are the only ones on Eridani I to refer to the planet and its continents with the respective defunct names: Ekeke for Ifihan, Lukingo for Tokura, Ichida for Madiwa and Maluwashi for Fantalu. Using the modern names would mean bowing down to the culture that they despise. Dreg culture, much like Suit culture, varies on a settlement level and there are countless settlements to be found in Eridani I's underground.

Megacities

Eridani I’s megacities are a marvel of architectural engineering. They span for almost the entire length of their respective continent, but that is not to say that they are entirely populated: many districts are specialised in a certain role to make the most out of their space or position. Each megacity is, in fact, divided into precisely 200 administrative districts, which have been assigned to a purpose by the megacity’s board of managers as the urban centre grew: the amount of a certain district does vary between megacities as well. Industrial districts, housing districts, commercial districts and office districts are the most common: industrial districts take the form of large, sprawling foundry or assembly complexes, often run exclusively by IPCs or simple robots; housing districts are massive complexes of apartments, while others exclusively house villas; commercial districts house the Spur’s grandest and most exclusive shopping malls, and finally office districts are characterised by massive skyscrapers that function as office buildings, with many numbering in the hundreds of floors. Each administrative district is managed by its district manager, which is not elected by Eridanians but instead by the megacity’s board of managers. Districts also have varying levels of air quality: industrial districts are among the worst places in the Spur for air quality, whereas office districts are still polluted, but not quite as badly.

All megacities have a certain number of districts set aside for “environmental” purposes, mostly indoors due to air pollution, even if there are a few open-aired districts. These districts are often artificial and colourful gardens, forests, jungles and so on: they are styled after the vegetation that used to be in that district’s area prior to its terraforming. They are sometimes a veritable adventure, with seamless transitions into different artificial biomes. Additionally, some of these districts are even styled after other planets’ environments, in order to give work tourists a familiar environment to visit – Visegrad’s rainy forests, for example, are adapted quite faithfully. Tourists often come to gawk and sightsee due to these districts’ exoticness, or even to carry out activities such as hiking or even outdoor picnics. CEOs, on the other hand, have made a habit of using secluded parts of these districts to carry out deals with clients, away from prying eyes. All of this for an entrance fee, of course.

Due to Eridani’s policy of uniformisation, the megacities all largely look the same in architecture, which is based on african futurism – most buildings opt for an inoffensive white or grey cosmopolitan colour scheme, with little variation bar for lights, windows, and holographic display boards. What variation there is can be observed on the skyscrapers that dot the city surface, which dominate the Eridanian skyline: each skyscraper tries to stand out in its own way from the rest, using different shapes, colourful holographic display boards or other creative outlets. Some are even created purely using glass, while others have opted for simpler variations on the Eridanian style.

Ifihan

Ifihan is the largest, most densely populated megacity and capital of Eridani I and where the Federation’s government is headquartered, in addition to hosting Einstein Engines’ Eridanian headquarters and the Eridani PMC Academy. Being the capital, Eridanians from Ifihan are the most used to immigrants and tend to have friendly or at the very least cordial relations with them, in addition to often being familiar with various Human cultures. This has resulted in many Eridanians from Ifihan borrowing chic slang words or customs from work tourists: as an example, the Elyran word selam has found its way in more than a few Ifihani districts due to the presence of some small Elyran communities. As a result of having the largest foreign population, Ifihan also has the highest number of environmental districts at 12, all of which borrow elements and biomes from every single planet found across Human space.

The Eridanian PMC Academy is a key component of Ifihani culture, especially for foreign workers. More information on it can be found in the Work Tourism section.

Tokura

Tokura is the second largest Eridanian megacity and where Hephaestus is headquartered. It is mostly known for its two massive entertainment districts, affectionately named Amethyst and Diadem. They were designed exclusively by Venusian artists and architects under the supervision of the board of managers. They stick out like a sore thumb among all the other districts, displaying the classic flashy Venusian style across every single nightclub or bar. LED paintings cover every single wall and pavement in these districts, proving to be quite a culture shock for an Eridanian on their first visit. They are a very famous and renowned destination for Eridanians wishing to blow some stress off on their rare holidays, and make up for a large part of the megacity’s revenue. Diadem also hosts The Cube, a gigantic cuboid structure that holds hundreds of bars and restaurants along with dancefloors and even residential housing for its employees. The Cube is a club which carries prestige across not just Eridanian space, but Human space as a whole. Suits from Tokura have a reputation for being less on edge, warmer and generally more happy-go-lucky than others, much to the dismay of their Eridanian employers.

Tokura also hosts the largest number of industrial districts at 68, boasting a gigantic workforce employed in engineering or related fields. It is also the home of the Hephaestus Engineering Excellence Institute, a common destination for Hephaestus employees that wish to obtain further qualifications in a more competitive environment – while also experiencing Eridanian culture for the duration of their stay. Those that finish courses in this institute often obtain lucrative contracts in industrial fields in Eridani, or even abroad. A sizable portion of middle-level Hephaestus managers obtain their management certifications here. The 68 industrial districts are mostly run by Hephaestus, with many being staffed by both IPCs, native Eridanians and foreign workers.

As a result of the large number of industrial districts, air quality in Tokura is the worst among the Eridanian megacities and many Eridanians there develop a habit of staying indoors more than usual. Thankfully, their favourite attractions – the Venusian nightclubs – are all indoors. Additionally, it has less housing districts to compensate for the large amount of industrial districts, leading to a large overcrowding problem. This is partially why Suits from Tokura are warmer towards others – it is impossible to leave your apartment complex without seeing or talking to a colleague.

Madiwa

Madiwa is the third largest Eridanian megacity and where Zeng-Hu is headquartered. It has the second highest number of environmental districts at 9, the most famous of which is the Diakite Garden: a brilliant metallic dome built around a brilliant variety of different trees, flowers, and grasses all precisely organised into a great botanical garden. The facility was built originally by Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals as a place to house plant samples, however after some years the company found it more profitable to charge people for entry and use it as a venue for “outdoor” business conferences and even expensive entertainment acts. Getting access to the Gardens is very difficult, with tickets going for thousands of credits and repeat-entry passes going for hundreds of thousands. This cost makes it quite the statement of power or status for one to hold a business meeting in the Gardens, though there are gazebo-esque facilities in parts of the dome made specifically for business.

Madiwa is a major medical and research centre and arguably hosts the planet's most advanced medical institutes and facilities. The Zeng–Hu Madiwan Polytechnic can be found in Madiwa, one of the premier Zeng-Hu polytechnic institutes. This university is where many graduates sponsored by Zeng-Hu find their home, both in Eridani and abroad, to be moulded into only the highest quality employees. At the same time, the Polytechnic is known for its soul-crushingly high standards, a result of the fusion between Zeng-Hu corporate culture and Suit workaholism. Many Zeng-Hu chief medical officers or hospital directors obtain further training in patient management at the Polytechnic institute.

Fantalu

Fantalu is the smallest Eridanian megacity, curiously hosting no Solarian megacorporations. As a result, it also has the smallest population of foreign workers, which are often not treated kindly. It is, however, the host of the largest Eridanian corporation, Eridani Energy, colloquially referred to as EriEn – an energy corporation specialising in the creation of fusion reactors at small scale – which hires exclusively Eridanian natives. It is known for having gruelling work hours, extreme recruitment standards but unparalleled pay. Eridanians that do leave EriEn – often due to extreme burnout and typically after having earned a few years' worth of paychecks – have little trouble finding work abroad as their abilities, experience and dedication to their work are in high demand. In addition to engineering fields, EriEn also hires many middle-management level staff, mainly in accounting, human resources, personnel management or other such related fields.

Fantalu is, as a result of all these factors, a significantly more Eridanian native-minded megacity than the rest. Its inhabitants often look down on Eridanians from other megacities and on them letting foreign influence run rampant. The examples commonly cited by Fantalu’s residents are Amethyst and Diadem, the two Venusian entertainment districts in Tokura. No entertainment districts are present in Fantalu and the megacity sponsors a very workaholic culture, making it an extremely unattractive prospect for anyone that wishes to spend their life in more than an office cubicle.

Dreg Settlements

The Eridanian megacities do not leave much space on the surface for dregs to even exist, which begs the question of where the majority of their population resides. The answer lies in a fault in Eridanian management: when the megacities absorbed smaller settlements, they never integrated existing tunnelling or underground systems, instead choosing to extend their own, as they were viewed as superior and less prone to failure. This has led to each megacity hosting its own unused complex network of tunnels, mining complexes, sewer systems and other such spaces underneath. These were interconnected by Eridani I’s dregs overtime, leading to the creation of the two main underground settlements: New Kivu, which corresponds to Ifihan’s underground, and Den, which corresponds to Tokura’s. These two settlements are only the biggest and most renowned ones, but many small settlements exist in the tunnels nonetheless. Large settlements have some semblance of a government, but it only extends insofar as informal leaders making decisions – there are absolutely no social programs, government-sponsored hiring or anything resembling a modern nation state.

New Kivu

The largest dreg shanty town in all of Eridani, New Kivu, boasts something that almost no other dreg community in the Federation can match: a widespread pipe network delivering clean water courtesy of the town being built around a once-decommissioned water treatment plant. This has led to much of the dreg population of Eridani I flocking to New Kivu in hopes of living in a place with clean water. It is the dreg settlement with the highest standard of living, but even that is still rock bottom when compared to anywhere else in the Spur. New Kivu’s economy functions mainly on salvaging food and water scraps from above through pre-planned routes, which still gives it an immense tactical edge over all other settlements that are instead forced to hunt for scraps of food and water over hundreds of kilometres. This has led to dregs outside of New Kivu developing a large sentiment of jealousy towards the premier settlement, and it is often forced to defend its borders from poachers, raiders and bandits far more often than any other, and these raids are often quite devastating for the town’s populace. This led to the creation of many rudimentary mercenary forces that sell their protection to the highest bidder, paid in food and water by the locals of the areas they protect. Some of these mercenary dregs do manage to get poached, reinstated and recruited by EPMCs, if they manage to get lucky enough to be scouted.

Den

Den, on the other hand, is a much more different kind of settlement – if that label could even apply. Its culture is an extreme distortion of Cytherean and Suit culture where gambling, card games and other such activities play the main role in society. Knowing how to gamble, cheat, play cards and dice is an essential skill here as gambling is what the economy of Den runs on. What little food and water there is gets immediately gambled at makeshift bars or casinos, or becomes the price of admission in the Reinstatement Tournaments: clandestine competitions hosted by the wealthy Suits that run the nightclubs on the surface. Dregs that climb their way up and defeat Suit opponents are often given a chance to reinstate themselves, with the price of signing an extremely abusive contract with a nightclub as card dealers, baristas or professional card players: those who find their way out of these contracts by paying severance fees are often burnt out and end up leaving their megacity or Eridani altogether. A minority of the dregs that make it to the end of these tournaments view these contracts as an unacceptable hit to their pride and end up refusing them, choosing to remain in the underground instead. These clandestine tournaments are very lucrative as well: many Suits place fairly high bets on their favourite candidate, as the payoff is extremely high. It is speculated that Den’s semblance of a “ruling government” is in close cooperation with the CEOs of the entertainment districts to provide them with an ever-flowing source of workers, and of course tournaments to sate their taste for extreme tourism.

Some of Eridani I’s dregs, however, live in completely desolate areas on the surface, primarily deserts that were not terraformed due to the land not being profitable. They live an even harder life than other dregs and their population has rapidly dwindled throughout the years due to the lack of any real source of food or water. They are the most isolated communities on Eridani I and entirely rely on raiding other underground dreg settlements for sustenance – a practice that has rapidly backfired ever since the creation of New Kivu’s mercenary system. Some find refuge underground and integrate into communities such as New Kivu or Den, while others continue to embrace this nomadic lifestyle. These dregs are known for being extremely superstitious to a fault, often judging how the course of a day will go from a simple observation in the morning. Additionally, they are the most religious community on Eridani I, with most of them believing in one deity or the other: makeshift places of prayer can be found dotted around their deserts for just about every human religion. Due to their origins as West African and Central African colonists, most of them follow the religions of Christianity and Islam.

Due to the entirely decentralised, chaotic and anarchic nature of these above-ground settlements, there are no large or static communities.

Work Tourism

Eridani I’s status as a gigantic trade and labour hub means that it receives an immense flux of immigration. This immigration, however, is a curious type when compared to all other planets: many people from across the Spur come to Eridani for an average amount of 6 years for humans in order to find better-paying labour. These immigrants are referred to as work tourists by Eridanians and even across the Spur. These work tourists often incorporate some words of Suit slang into their vocabulary in order to fit into Eridanian society slightly more, but never end up quite submitting to Eridani’s crushing demands. Work tourists often work a similar work week to other planets in the Spur, which is shorter than the Eridanian work week of ten hours across six days. This leads to some resentment towards work tourists, and sometimes even jealousy. Eridanian opinions on this matter vary, but most of them recognize that they do bring in a good amount of credits.

A common example of this work tourism is the Eridani PMC Academy. This academy is shared by all EPMCs and carries out a crucial function: it is not only where Eridanian native PMCs are trained, but also where foreign EPMCs must go for at least one month in order to acclimatise to Suit and Eridanian culture. This acclimatisation training is named the Foreign Hire Program, but is colloquially referred to as the Internship. This month-long program trains foreign hires in their relevant fields to make sure that their knowledge is up to par, but also mandates Eridanian culture classes, as these employees will end up having to speak to Eridanian superiors and colleagues quite often throughout their career. A foreign hire is referred to as pierced by Eridanians if they have not passed their Internship, at which point they are referred to as bought. Native Eridanian PMCs often look down on pierced foreign hires as being a step below them: as a result, hazing foreign hires during their Internship is quite common. For many Eridanians, this sentiment ends when a foreign hire passes the Internship, while others continue to look down on these foreign hires until they subjectively deem them as sufficiently integrated.

Work tourists can find it hard to break into Eridani’s insular culture, depending on their luck. It can be challenging to truly make a friend, be trusted or even be seen as an equal as a foreigner. This has led to many immigrant communities forming in every megacity: Little New Hai Phongs can be found, in addition to Little Venuses, and so on. These immigrant communities end up forming nice attractions for Eridanians that wish to put a little spice in their day by partaking in a foreign culture: many immigrants make extra Credits on the side (or network) through activities such as hosting cultural food stands in their district. In any case, nobody leaves Eridani I without changing slightly due to societal pressures; most that leave at the very least end up hungrier for Credits than before.

Eridani I is also a potential work exchange destination for Skrell, though with a price attached – Skrell are not used to the long hours and can find it particularly crushing to work in Eridani for a long period of time. Those with enough of an attraction for Credits to accept a contract here, ironically, find it easier to be respected as a gear in Eridani’s machine than other work tourists: they are willing to work just as many hours, if not more than native Eridanians. This often leads to “healthy” workplace rivalries between Skrell and Eridanian colleagues in how much work can be done in one day, which Skrell often end up winning. Eridani is also often touted in the Nralakk Federation as a very challenging workplace, if excessively materialistic. Ifihan has the largest population of Skrell workers, with some of its environmental districts housing relevant biomes from Nralakk and other necessary facilities.

Synthetics on Eridani I

Hot shells and nothing else.